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Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6
Mazda's sales decline I find it quite interesting. Despite many private buyers choosing mid spec models, the 3's higher entry price has sent consumers into the arms of Kia and Hyundai at the low $20k range. Mazda have always said they have a high level of more profitable private customers, however with Australians not prioritizing a new car at the moment, companies like Mazda are going to be hurt the most without fleet/rental/government sales to soak up excess volume. It would seem that Mazda's focus on styling and driving dynamics over the last 15 years wasn't the main reason they have sold so well, a cheap entry point to lure customers into showrooms played a big part of their success.
https://www.caradvice.com.au/825057/...-sale-decline/ |
Something like 60% of Mazda 2 sales were made up of the base Neo spec. Mazda Australia have now wiped out the base model 'Neo' and mid level 'Maxx' and replaced them both with the Mazda 2 'G15 Pure' spec and now the base model 'G15 Pure' starts from around $21,000 on the road. Considering the previous entry price with on roads was around $ 18,000 for a Mazda 2 Neo auto, that's a bit of step up. And Mazda have done the same with the Mazda 3.
Not to mention, Mazda have now priorities style over functionality. Try getting into a new Mazda 3, 6, MX5 and even a CX3 and CX9. If you're not flexible and the front seats aren't too far forward, you're going to pump your head on the roof every time. Blind spots in the Mazda 3 hatch are horrendous and apart from the CX5, Mazda's are not practical.
I work for a dealer group that also includes a Mazda dealer and let me tell you, they are suffering!! A dealership that consistently sold 120-140 units month in, month out, did 86 units in December and 82 units in January. The months before that, they were doing 90 - 100 units. And it's interesting since the new reporting of sales commenced from January 2020, they've put on 78 Demonstrators in January and another 32 Demonstrators in February, so far. Before January 2020, their demo count was under 40 units. With every demo the dealer puts on, they get a kick back form Mazda Australia and it doesn't matter how many demo's they put on. They're also under pressure from Mazda Australia to sell BT50's. They've had to accept BT50's that were built in June last year from Mazda Australia, because they're just not selling. CX8's are in the same boat because they're only available in diesel. Release them with a petrol option, like they are in Japan and Mazda Australia would sell a lot more of them. The Mazda 6 is just too expensive these days, it's as simple as that.
At least with Ford, they are capped with the amount of Demo's they can put on. Each dealership has a demo count for each quarter - Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. Each quarter of the year has a different demo count, exceed that demo count and the dealership won't receive any kickback from Ford on the extra demos that dealership has put on, which is why you won't see Ford Australia put on 4,000 Foci's in a single month (Holden = Astra).
Our dealer group also has Hyundai and Kia, just to name a few more. Again, Demo's from these two brands can be astronomically high when compared to how many 'raw' sales that they actually do. Fleet sales for Hyundai and Kia account for roughly 60% of their sales within out dealer network, with Kia, it's a lot higher. Nearly all Sorento's were receive off the boats out at Port Adelaide, are for SAPOL = SA Police Force.